Bucket cleaner attachment for wheeltype ditch digger



June 21, 1955 J, F, 'P s 2,711,035

BUCKET CLEANER ATTACHMENT FOR WHEEL-TYPE DITCH DIGGER Filed Dec. 26, 1952 INVENTOR Jim F. Pitts ATTORNEYS United States Patent BUCKET CLEANER ATTACHMENT FOR WHEEL- TYPE DITCH DIGGER This invention relates to new and useful improvements in ditching machine attachments.

One object of the invention is to provide an improvement to the digging or excavating wheel of the usual ditching machine.

The usual excavating wheel is equipped with scoops or buckets having excavating teeth on their advancing bottom edges and an angular relation between their bottoms and backs. This structural arrangement causes, especially in damp ground, an accumulation of earth along the bottom and back walls of each bucket. When the wheel revolves and the buckets pass over the top center and are inverted, much of this accumulation is dumped back into the ditch on the downward passage of said buckets. This rearward discharge of the dirt causes an accumulation along the bottom of the ditch, thus necessitating the employment of several workmen with shovels to remove these dirt accumulations.

One object of the invention is to provide an attachment for the excavating wheel whereby the earth excavations will be scraped or displaced from each bucket just prior to its digging into the bottom of the ditch, whereby the dislodged and discharged accumulations will be dropped into the path of the next succeeding or following bucket. By this arrangement the buckets are cleaned of adhering dirt during each revolution of the wheel and less dirt is accumulated and dropped into the ditch on the down stroke.

A very important object of the invention is to provide means for scraping adhering dirt accumulations from each bucket after the bucket has dumped and which may be attached to the ordinary ditching machine without altering or changing the usual one-piece bucket.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved device of the character described wherein the earth removing member is under spring tension during the scraping or dirt-removing action and is suddenly released from the top of the bucket so as to be swung back into forceful engagement with the bottom of the next succeeding bucket to dislodge earth from the walls thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved device of the character described which may be mounted on the excavating wheel of the ordinary ditching machine as an attachment without altering the structure of said machine.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the excavating wheel and associated members of a ditching machine equipped with an earth removing attachment constructed in accordance with the invention,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the attachment, and

Fig. 3 is a detailed side elevation of the attachment,

2,711,035 Patented June 21, 1955 partly in section and showing positions in full and dotted lines.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 designates the spaced, supporting side beams on which the excavating wheel 11 is driven by spur gear 12. This wheel includes annular rim members 13, spaced apart with buckets 14 secured therebetween at their outer edges. The wheel is driven in a clockwise (Figs. 1 and 3) direction as the machine moves forwardly, which would be to the left in Figs. 1 and 3.

As the machine moves forwardly the wheel 11 is revolved so that the buckets 14 on the rear side of said wheel (right hand side Figs. 1 and 3) are inverted and carried down into the ditch. Each bucket has forwardly directed teeth 15 attached to its bottom and directed forwardly from its open front end. As each bucket is swung forwardly at the bottom of the ditch, the teeth dislodge or dig the earth which is scooped up into said bucket. Since in many instances the scooped-up earth is damp or moist, it has a tendency to pack along the bottom and up the back and side walls of said bucket and when the bucket passes over the centerat the top of the wheel, the loose load is dumped onto the conveyor 16. The earth which adheres to the walls of each bucket is to some extent dislodged on the down flight of the bucket and dumped into the ditch. Since this dumped earth must be removed, the services of several workmen with shovels are required. This is expensive and frequently unsatisfactory where the workman is careless.

A stabilizing frame 17 is secured to the undersides of the beams and is substantially rectangular in shape. This frame has at its lower corners on each side, flanged guide rollers 18 which ride on inner surfaces of the rim members 13 at each side of the wheel. The bottom of the frame is formed by upturned angle bars 19 extending between the rollers 18. The side beams 10, the frame 17, the angle bars 19 and the roller 18, constitute mounting members for the wheel 11.

In carrying out the invention, a hanger 20 composed of inverted angle bars 21 placed back to back across the undersides of the spaced bars. 19 (Fig. 2) is provided. Spaced ears 22 secured on the front side of the depending flange of the forward bar 21, have anangular bail 23 hinged therein. The depending ends of this bail are welded or otherwise secured on the upper ends of upright arms 24. The cars are secured to the bar 21 by short sleeves 25 mounted on bolts 26 threaded through the bars and secured by nuts 27 on said bolts.

The lower ends of the depending arms 24, which are mounted to swing back and forth in the orbit of the wheel, are suitably fastened on the upper side of a Hat transverse blade 28. These arms are stiffened by a transverse, medial brace 24' fastened at its ends to the forward edges of said arms. The blade is rectangular in plan and may be rectilinear from end to end or otherwise shaped to suit the bucket with which it is used. As is best shown in Fig. 3, the blade is inclined slightly upwardly from its front edge so that its rear edge and ends will scrape the back and end walls of the bucket 14 as the wheel revolves.

Plungers 29 have their lower ends bent to form outwardly directed trunnions 30 pivoted on the lower ends of the arms 24 and held by cotter keys 31. These plungers are inclined upwardly and forwardly and slide through a header 32 having its ends reduced and journaled in boxes 33 secured to the undersides of the bars 19. Coiled compression springs 34 surround the plungers and have their lower ends bearing against washers 35 held on the lower ends of the plungers by cotter pins 36. The upper ends of the springs engage the header 32.

The hanger 20 is located near the rear ends of the bars 19, with respect to the revolution of the wheel 11,

whereh tharin's 24 ii'oi'fii'ally depend at an angle of about thirty degrees more 'or less to the vertical axis of the wheel on the rear side thereof. This places the blade 28 normally, between the firstv two buckets to the rear of the bot'totii of the wheel, with respect to its vertical These buckets have been lettered A and B in Figs. l and "3, with third bucket i lfig. i, lettered (3. since the springs, as shewn in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2, are not under empress-ion, the arms 24 are supported iii position to hold the blade "28 stationary so that the anana er the bheket B may swing under the blade and into ebntact with its rear scraping edge when the wheel is revolved. When the wheel is revolved, the bottom and sides at the bucket B are scraped by the rear edge and end's of said blade. Cojntin'ued r'e'volu'tion er the wheel eau's'es thebucke't B, in traveliiig forwardly and downwardly, to swing the blade 28, and arms forwardly, whereby the blade is pulled upwardly in the bucket B and scrapes dirt from its rear and end walls. It'will be noted that the bucket swings in an are having its center in the center of the when it, while the blade not only swings in an arc of a r'ri'rieh shorter radius, but froni a center considerably o'ifs'let, relatively, to the rear of the center of the wheel. This itibu'ritiri'g and spacing ca'us'e the blade to move up the back of the bucket. v

As the blade moves up the back of the bucket B and the arms are swung forwardly, the plungers 29 are slid upwardly through the header 32 and the springs 34 are compressed as is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. when the blade reaches the top of the bucket, the bucket will have reached the position of the bucket A in Fig. 3 arid continued revolution of the wheel will move the rear wall of the bucket out from under the blade. The springs 34, being highly compressed and being suddenly released when the blade is freed from the bucket, will swing the arms rearwar'dly under considerable energy, whereby the blade will scrape along the bottom of the bucket B and strike the rear wall thereof with Considerable force. This action will loosen and dislodge much of the adhering dirt. In actual operation, the dirt will be largely dislodged in bucket B, picked up in the intermediate positions of bucket B and finally discharged from the bucket when it reaches the position of bucket A. Since the bucket B nioves close to the bottom or the ditch it will scoop up the major portion of the dirt discharged over the back of bil'cke't A. The bucket C will follow and repeat the action of bticket B; while bucket A moves on to dig fresh dirt. As h'ereiitbef'ore pointed out this attachment requires no chan e in the ordinary ditching wheel andits buckets.

In the prior art, devices have been developed for cleaning n, en

at the-top of the wheel.

i each bucket as it dumps its load onto the conveyor belt These either require buckets with movable members or mechanism over the conveyor at the top of the conveyor. the first to provide a cleaning attachment operative on the down side of the wheel after the dumping has been completed This improved device has the advantage of spring shock jarring of the adhering dirt as well as a more forceful ahd 'fli'cient ble'aiiing action It is obvious that after a bucket has be'eh cleaned 'not as much dirt willv adhere to its Walls. w

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory thereof and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A bucket cleaning attachment for a ditchingwheel including a frame within the wheel, a hanger carried by the fin te, swing arms pivoted to the hanger, a blade mounted across the lower ends of the arms, plungers pivoted at their lower ends to the arms adjacent the blade,

bearing members carried by the frame a header rotatably i carried iii thebearing members and having holes therethr'oug'h, the pluhgers being slidable through the holes of the header, and coil spiingssurrotinding the plungers bctweeh the arms and the header.

2. A cleaning attachment for the peripheral buckets of a ditching wheel journaled between supporting beams and ihcluding a frame connected with the beams and disposed within the wheel and extending below said beams, a hanger attached to the frame, arms having their upper ends hinged to and suspended from the hanger, a blade mounted across the lower ends of the arms in the path of the buckets, a header hinged to the under portion of the name, said header having openings therethrough, p uhg'ers hinged at their lower ends pivotally connected with the blade and their upper portions slidable through the openings inthe header, and coiled springs confined on the plunger's between the blade and the header.

References Cited in the fire or this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS So far as I am aware I am- 

